


Seeds

by Sarah Problem (SarahProblem)



Series: Come With Me [7]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Anal Sex, Complete, Deneva (Star Trek), Established Relationship, Honeymoon, M/M, Wedding Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-06 21:56:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11045115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarahProblem/pseuds/Sarah%20Problem
Summary: THE wedding.





	Seeds

 Seeds

 By Sarah Problem

  

 

 

 

 

"All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today."

\--Indian Proverb

 

 

 

Doctor Winona Kirk hummed to herself as she flicked through the pages of the latest report sent to her extra-secure PADD. Lying in the dark, on the bunk in her cabin, she knew she should be sleeping. She would never acclimate to Deneva's daytime hours if she didn't try to keep to the artificial night cycle she'd set for her cabin on the passenger liner. But the PADD called to her. As new information always did.

The bits and pieces of knowledge that were saved from Sarpeidon just before its sun went nova had been interesting at first glance. She could see why those who found the planet empty assumed that the inhabitants had either left, or had killed themselves. Where else could they go? What else could they do? But it had taken the cutting-edge computers at Tri-Fold, and the minds that worked them, to even begin to suspect that the Sarpeidon's had been a civilization with time travel. And that the inhabitants had gone back into their own history to escape the destruction of their system.

As a quantum physicist, Doctor Kirk had been one of the first to recognize the truth. At her recommendation, her employer, Tri-Fold Industries, had spent an unbelievable amount of credits tracking down every bit of information on Sarpeidon. Whether bought, salvaged, stolen, or looted, Tri-Fold would pay for it. Now, the credits were bringing in interesting bits of information about how the Sarpeidon's managed such a feat. If they could only interpret the bits of computer codes, recreate the formulas, and finally put together all the pieces they needed for their grand project.

_I should be back there, at the research center,_ she thought with frustration. _None of the others can do what I do. See what I see. Every minute I'm away is wasted time._

She set the PADD down tiredly. She hated travel. Once it had brought her to places she wanted to go. Now it just took her away from the one place she wanted to be. Back at her research.

She sighed and rubbed at her eyes. She was so tired, and she could feel the tingle behind her eyes that warned of a return of the headaches.

_No use putting it off. Bad enough I have to put in an appearance at the wedding, but if my migraines appear it'll just make everything harder. I should have said no to the trip. But they want me to keep in contact with George and Jim. As if what they do matters. As if our relationship matters._

She shook her head as the pain grew slightly worse. _Maybe they're right, but I don't see how._

She pushed herself up off of the bunk, ordered lights on in the tiny room, and went to her open suitcase. It only took her a moment to find the case of small, disposable hypos that she always traveled with. She quickly injected herself in her carotid artery, sighing as the medicine flooded through her. The shots always made her feel good. They took away the hint of pain and kept the migraines at bay. She glanced at the remaining hypos, counting them automatically, calculating the days her supply would last.

_I should have more than enough. As long as I don't stay very long. Not that I would._

Turning, she caught sight of herself in the cabin's mirror. Everyone said she was still a striking woman. She wasn't sure anymore. She did take care of herself. She liked to dress as if George would come through the door at any moment. He'd always called her beautiful. The medical Doctors at Tri-Fold had told her it was good to remember what George had said. To keep him always at the front her mind. That way, she'd never forget how important their work, her work, was.

_Time. So much of it gone already. I'll soon be in my mid-fifties. How could it have all gone so fast? I have to work faster. I have to find the answers._

She went back to her bunk and picked up the PADD once again. Now, it wasn't the new reports on the Sarpeidon artifacts she wanted to re-read. She wanted to see the History files again. She wanted to torture herself into working harder, longer, faster. She shouldn't, but she would. Her work was the only thing real to her. The only thing keeping her going since George died. Not even her children had done that for her. Not since she had learned the truth.

This universe was a lie. A fake. Nothing in it mattered, even though she had to pretend it did.

_Someday, we'll find the answers, and all these wrong, false lives will be put right. I will have my_ **real** _children back. They way they should be. Not the disappointments they are now._

Giving in, she typed her password into the many-layered security system, to bring up the files she should not be carrying outside of Tri-Fold. Files that the company had paid the Klingon smugglers dearly for. The History files that the Narada had carried from their universe to this one, which had been taken by the Klingons when Nero and his men had been captured. The attempt to mine their computers for secrets from 154 years in the future had turned up little. Not surprising that future encryption would be uncrackable to those in the past.

But there had been some files that had been less secure. Originally deemed non-important by the Romulans. What the Kingons had decoded of the files had only been fragments. But some of those fragments had been of interest to Tri-Fold when they came on the black market.

And Tri-Fold had used those files to draw her in and keep her working for, and with, them. Files that had given her hope, and had cursed her, all at the same time. And now, almost 18 years later, kept her working toward their common goal. A way to go back, and start over, making sure that _this_ time, things went the way they were supposed to.

She opened the file, turning to the recovered bits of History of James Tiberius Kirk, and to the short paragraph on his parents. It had been strange, at first, to see the date of her own death. But what had always pulled her away from that was the entry on George Samuel Kirk. Her husband.

**George Samuel Kirk, 2205-2287, himself served many years in Starfleet, providing his son with an impeccable role model, becoming the inspiration for Captain Kirk's many achievements.**

She sighed, running her finger over the entry. How such few words had given her hope.

_Eighty-two years old. He should have been eighty-two when he died. He was robbed..._ **we** _were robbed... of over_ **fifty years** _together._

It hurt, like it always did when she read that passage. But she meant to have those years back. Tri-Fold's offer to help her set the universe back to rights had given her a purpose when all she'd had was despair. Once they had the ability to time travel, they'd have the means to undo what Nero had done. To go back and save the Kelvin. To save George, and make her family whole again.

In the meantime, she had to pretend that this universe mattered. That those who called her 'Mother' weren't just pale shadows of the people they were meant to be. And that someday, if she and Tri-Fold could pull it off, all these lives would be re-wound and re-lived. Everything erased, clean and new.

Until then, she had to try to pretend what happened here was real. Like the visits, the comm calls, the wedding, and the grand-children that weren't really hers. Because Tri-Fold was convinced that they mattered, That she needed to make the effort.That her ties to them could be helpful, someday. And whatever was helpful was to be encouraged. Even if she had to pretend that she felt anything for a family that was never meant to be, or to last.

As the thrum in her head quieted, she felt the sadness of this reality leave her, and memories of George return to lull her to sleep. Her memories were always so sharp and clear after the shots. Like a veil had been lifted, and she could remember everything about him so well, so clearly, even almost twenty-eight years later. When she was young, and in love, and they had their whole future ahead of them.

_Just get through the next few days, then I can go back to work. Back to what's important._

_To get George back, and the life we should have had._

_Back to saving him._

_And starting over._

 

***

 

James T. Kirk woke slowly to the sounds of Denevian birds outside his window. His face buried in the soft pillow, the sheets halfway down his back, he could not only feel the slight breeze from the outside, but he could also hear the movement of the birds that hopped around inside the bush outside. Tiny things, the brightly colored birds sang and foraged in the early mornings. Now, on his third morning at Sam and Aurelan's house, Jim found he had become addicted to waking up to the flute-like sounds and busy noises. Aurelan had said she thought they had about fifteen mated pairs living around the house. She had put a feeder for them, to encourage them to stay.

_And after tomorrow, another mated pair in this house,_ Jim smiled to himself. _Tomorrow, and Bones and I will be married._ _Husbands. It's so hard to believe. I wonder why we waited so long? Never thought I'd end up the marrying type. I guess it really does take meeting the right person._

He didn't have to roll over and look for that person. Leonard H. McCoy was snoring away beside him, face down in his own pillow, an arm slung over Jim's waist. He knew McCoy had been up in the middle of the night. Always the Doctor, McCoy had taken to getting up in the middle of the night to talk to Aurelan when she got up to breastfeed little Robby, who was still needing to nurse every few hours. Robert James Kirk was almost three weeks old now, and just beginning to show his own little personality. McCoy hadn't been the only one fascinated by the little guy. Even Jim had taken turns at changing diapers and giving the baby a bottle of breastmilk when he wasn't playing spaceships with Peter.

_I still can't believe they gave him my name. I don't know if they have any idea how much that means to me._

McCoy did, watching Jim closely as he held his new nephew for the first time. Sam had broken the news with a smile. Jim had been shocked, and something a little hesitant about his relationship with his brother seemed to melt away. They'd both tried hard to reconnect since meeting last September, for the first time in way too many years. Sam had said when they first got back together how much he'd wanted to be real brothers, and Jim believed him. But something in Jim had been holding back a bit, worried that time and distance would overwhelm the new relationship and it would drift away. While Jim had held the warm, tiny, wiggling little boy in his arms as he sat on the couch, a proud Peter sitting next to him, Sam and Aurelan revealed the baby's full name. Jim had found himself teary eyed and his throat too thick with emotion to talk. His first thought had been ' _I **am** family. They won't forget about me.'_

And the smile McCoy had given him told Jim that McCoy understood exactly why Jim had been speechless. Jim thought Sam and Aurelan realized it too. After a silent moment, when little Robby had made a face and grunted, filling his diaper as Jim held him close, they had all laughed.

"Gee, Uncle Jim. Robby likes you," Peter had said with a giggle. "He just gave you a present!"

Since then, Jim and McCoy been busy with last minute wedding plans, getting to know the area, planning out their honeymoon trip, and playing with Peter and the baby. Once they'd had their evening meals, and the kids were tucked in, the adults talked deep into the night. They talked about anything, everything. Jim had rarely felt so comfortable with people he was only now getting to know well. McCoy had seemed to fit right in, which made Jim ecstatic. He was already "Uncle Len" to Peter, and Jim loved the idea that Robby wouldn't ever remember a time when his two uncles hadn't been married.

_Just one more day. The best day yet._

Looking at the time, Jim pushed himself up and out of bed, making McCoy grunt and roll away from him. Jim grabbed a robe and headed to the 'fresher down the hall. Spread out on one level, the house was the old-fashioned type, made of wood and with minimal electronics. It had a large kitchen and front living area, with four bedrooms, three of them sharing the hall 'fresher. Styled to be added on to, because many Denevans had large families, it was made to extend upward to a second and third story with modular additions. Right now, the baby's crib was in the master bedroom with Jim and McCoy in what would be Robby's room. Peter had his own room, so that left one more room for visitors. And that visitor was going to be Winona Kirk, who was arriving at the spaceport just before lunch.

Jim and Sam had talked last night, trying to remember the last time the three of them had all been in the same place. The last time they could remember had been during grandad T.K.'s funeral. Right before Sam left Earth and Winona had gone back into space as a Quantum Physicist, doing research for a private company, having left Starfleet a few years before.

Jim had been about twelve.

_It's going to be strange,_ Jim thought as he brushed his teeth. _I don't even know what to say to her anymore. Even when I comm her, she makes me feel like I'm interrupting. Sam says the same thing. This'll only be the third time she's come to visit them. Will we even have anything to talk about?_

He took a quick shower, and as he walked the hall back to their room he could hear little Robby fussing behind closed doors. _At least I'm not the only one up._

In their room, he dressed quietly.

"Time..." McCoy yawned as he rolled over to look at Jim with bleary eyes. "Time to get up?"

"Not yet," Jim answered softly, putting on his shoes. "I'll let you know."

"M'kay." McCoy dozed off again.

Jim could hear sounds from the kitchen before he got there. Sam was there, putting some breakfast on a plate for Peter who sat at the kitchen counter.

"Hi, Uncle Jim!" Peter said enthusiastically.

"Peter, not so loud," Sam said quietly, slipping a plate in front of Peter. "People are still sleeping. Here, eat your breakfast."

Jim walked over to the bassinette, just outside the kitchen. In it, Robby was wiggling, as if he was ready for a new day of baby gymnastics.

"You want something, Jim? I've got the frying pan already out, so no replicating!" Sam said with a smile. He and Aurelan cooked most of their meals, neither one liking replicated food although they did have a replicator installed.

"Sure, if you've got eggs," Jim said, giving Peter a tickle as he took the stool beside him.

"Ham, too?"

"Sure."

Sam turned back to the stove to start another plate.

"Mom's shuttle is due in at 10:45, right?" Jim asked.

"Yeah. She's coming in on that passenger ship from the Loracus system. She's been on some kind of assignment at the research station on Loracus Prime."

"What's Tri-Fold Corp got her doing now?" Jim asked.

"You know her. She always says she can't talk about it. I have no idea. I think we're lucky she can tell us who she even works for."

"Must be some good stuff to keep a quantum physicist busy and working for all these years."

Sam shrugged. "You know Mom. Even if she explained it, I wouldn't understand it." Sam smiled at him as he put a plate of eggs and ham in front of him. "Would you?"

Jim shrugged. "After a fashion. If she dumbed it down for me."

Sam snorted. "I doubt anyone has to dumb anything down for you, Jim."

"You either," Jim pointed out as he started on his breakfast.

"If it's not biology related, they do," Sam admitted.

"Can I go and help pick up Grandma?" Peter asked, his voice full of hope.

"School," Sam reminded him. "You had two days off already and will have tomorrow off for the wedding. You need to go to classes today."

Peter made a face. "But Grandma won't be here that long."

Jim and Sam looked at each other over Peter's head.

"I know," Sam said, "but you'll see her soon."

After eating they cleaned up the dishes, fed Robby, and saw Peter off on the school bus that stopped in front of the house. Out on the outskirts of Proctor, a small town close to the forest areas of Deneva, Peter had a few kilometers to go for school. Sam and Aurelan had chosen this spot carefully, so as not to be too far away from the schools, and not too far away from the thermal grottos that Sam studied. It was a lovely location, just off the main road, with a large front and back yard. Large enough to have Jim and McCoy's wedding in the back.

Their small wedding had ended up with Aurelan's family invited, which consisted of seven brothers and sisters, and their partners, and twenty-eight children. Peter and Robby making an even thirty. Since Jim and McCoy had decided to go with a Denevan ceremony, where the kids would take part, the little ones were more than welcome. It would make for some interesting chaos since Jim hadn't met any of them yet. Tomorrow, about 8 am, everyone would start arriving, and by noon they'd be married. Jim and McCoy had paid for a catering service to set up a large tent with lunch, so Aurelan wouldn't have to cook or prepare anything. And Jim was hoping anything left over would feed them, and his Mom, for a few days before she left.

After the lunch, Jim and McCoy would leave for their honeymoon. They'd only be gone a few days, then come back to spend the rest of their leave with Sam and his family. Jim had hoped that Winona could have come earlier, or stayed later.

_I guess I should be grateful that she's able to make it at all. I know how disappointed Bones is that his father couldn't make it. Especially since Bones has been so worried about him these last couple of weeks. The voice message he left was pretty cryptic._ ' **I'm tied up. Don't expect a callback.** ' _isn't much of a message. But he's a busy guy, being the head of the largest hospital in the southern United States. Which is why he couldn't get off to come. That, and I think it's too easy to forget that space travel outside of Starfleet isn't cheap. Some people save their whole lives to buy a one-way ticket to a new planet. We not only see places no one's seen before, we see places most people could never get to. It's amazing that I get to have any family at all attend this wedding. If I'd had to have Sam, Aurelan, Peter and Robby come to me on another planet, or even Earth, they probably couldn't have made it, let alone afford it._

Once Peter was off to school, Jim and Sam, with Robby, came in to find McCoy and Aurelan up and dressed and talking in the kitchen.

"There you two are," Aurelan said as she sat down to her own breakfast. "When are you leaving to pick up your mother?"

"About an hour or so," Sam said, putting Robby back in his bassinette. "Figured we'd get there a little early, in case the shuttle makes good time."

"Is she coming from Starbase 10?" she asked.

"No, she's coming in over the regular shipping lanes," Jim said.

"Oh, too bad. You might have been able to travel together."

The Enterprise was at Starbase 10. Jim and McCoy had taken a long-distance shuttle over to Deneva. The Enterprise had some cargo for the starbase, and Scotty had had some repairs and software upgrades to make on the ship. Which meant that Scotty couldn't make their wedding. Jim wished he could, but it did solve the problem of Jim, Spock, and Scotty all being off-ship, and at such a distance from it, for so long. Starfleet got a little antsy when a ship wasn't in dry dock, or inside a space station, and its whole command crew wasn't close by. But Jim knew Scotty, and he'd never have settled down to enjoy the wedding with someone else tinkering with his ship. Even Spock, Uhura, Chekov and Sulu would have to return to the ship soon after the wedding. The crew would arrive tonight, and stay at the local hotel that Jim and McCoy were paying for, then leave again after the wedding. Jim and McCoy had gotten twelve days off altogether, two of them travel days, to plan and celebrate their wedding and honeymoon. For everyone else, they had to squeeze in what free days they could.

"You sure you don't want me to go with you?" McCoy asked, finishing his plate and getting up to clean it. "I'm looking forward to finally meeting her."

"Probably better if just Sam and I go," Jim said casually.

McCoy gave him an _'I know it's more than that'_ look, and Jim knew he was reading between the lines.

_I'm just not sure what she's going to be like, especially with both Sam and I there. If it's not going to work, I'd rather it just be Sam with me to witness it._

"Sure," McCoy said, going over to the bassinette. At Aurelan's nod, he picked Robby up. "Just more time for this little guy and me." He put Robby on his shoulder and patted his back, the small head wobbly as Robby tried to look around.

"Be careful," Sam said, "He was just fed not too--"

As if on cue, Robby burped loudly, and messily. A long, thin line of half-digested vomit dripped down McCoy's shoulder.

McCoy's eyebrow went up as the three adults around him laughed.

"Oh, he's got some of his Uncle Jim in him, alright," Jim said with a laugh. "Finally getting some payback for all those times Uncle Len's thrown up on _me_. Go, Robby!"

 

***

 

McCoy was helping Aurelan tidy up for Winona's arrival when he saw a hovercar pull up into the long, wide driveway. The car was one of those expensive ones, with dark windows and plenty of room inside for several people.

"Aurelan! We have company!" McCoy yelled down the hall. Aurelan had just settled in to nurse Robby.

"That can't be Sam and Jim. They just left!"

"No. Maybe it's the caterers wanting to get ready for tomorrow? I'll go check."

McCoy walked out onto the front porch, and as the car's back door opened, he stopped in shock.

_Ambassador Spock? He actually made it!_

He knew Jim had sent an invitation. The Ambassador had agreed to try to make the time to come by Deneva. But both Jim and McCoy had realized how unlikely that would be.

_'I feel like he needs to know he's welcome,' Jim said. 'I owe him so much!'_

McCoy had not actually met the Ambassador in person. After Nero had been defeated, it had been a crazy time for everyone. McCoy felt a little intimidated by having the older Vulcan in front of him for the first time. He'd heard so much about the man, from Jim, Spock, and some others. Almost swallowed in thick robes, reminding McCoy of the Vulcan's advanced age and a growing inability to deal with the cold, McCoy felt he was still such a demanding presence.

_Did we even know each other in that other timeline? Did I even belong on the Enterprise? And if I was, do I measure up to what he remembers? What if he never liked me? Jim never did get a glimpse of that other future that had to do with us. The Ambassador was careful to keep all of it from him._

"Ambassador Spock," McCoy said, holding up his hand in the Vulcan salute as he stood and let the older man approach him. _Please let me do this right!_ "Live long and prosper. Welcome to the Samuel and Aurelan Kirk household."

The Ambassador returned the salute. "Live long and prosper, Doctor Leonard Horatio McCoy, son of David. I am pleased to meet you once again, old friend."

_Old Friend? I hope he means that._

"Would you like to come inside? I'm afraid Jim isn't here at the moment, but you're welcome to wait."

"I am afraid I do not have the time, although I look forward to your wedding tomorrow," Spock said, and McCoy could hear the true regret in the refusal. "I have brought my wedding present, for you and for Jim. Although, mainly, it is for you, Doctor."

"Me?"

"Yes. I'm afraid I have not had the time I would have wished, to meet all the counterparts to the crew of the Enterprise, as I knew them. While my job of helping New Vulcan settle into what it could become is fulfilling, it is very demanding. I have not had the time I would wish for such indulgences."

"I was...? I mean, there was a McCoy on your Enterprise?" McCoy wanted the answer to be yes. So very much.

His need must have shown on his face, because something in the Ambassador's face softened.

"Doctor, the Enterprise would not have been the successful team it was without you," Spock said kindly. "You were there for all of us. Whenever we needed you. You and I were friends for many, many years. I have missed your counterpart dearly. There is," Spock said with a slight sigh, "a disadvantage to a Vulcan's long lifespan when compared to humans. To outlive one's dear friends... is very difficult."

McCoy felt stunned. He hadn't _really_ expected to hear that he'd belonged on the Enterprise in that timeline, nor to see the pain on the craggy features at the mention of that McCoy's loss.

"Thank you," McCoy said quietly, not knowing what else to say. "Are you sure you can't stay?"

_It would be nice to visit. To get to know you myself._

"No, I really must go. I will return tomorrow. My counterpart has been in contact with me as to your gift, so please know that this is from me, your Spock, and Nyota Uhura. With all best wishes for your future together."

Spock turned back to the car and beckoned someone from the back.

McCoy watched, then suddenly felt the world shift when he recognized the man half out of the door. He was moving toward him before he even thought about it.

"Papa!"

In a moment, McCoy was hugging his father, holding the older man tight. And for a long moment he was a kid again, with the memory of the comfort, encouragement, and love this tall, lean man had given him all through his life. Visibly older now, age had changed David in ways that scared McCoy a little. Patience Culver had been 23 when she'd married her husband. David Andrew McCoy had been almost eighteen years older than his wife. David had become a father at forty-one, with Leonard's birth, and a widower before his mid-fifties. Now in his mid-seventies, age had caught up with the tall, handsome doctor. For the first time in his memory, Leonard McCoy was a few inches taller than his father. And the dark hair that was a McCoy family trait was almost all white now, along with the neatly trimmed beard. Seeing the changes made McCoy want to hang on to his Papa forever, in case he should disappear when he wasn't looking.

"Are you that glad to see me, or that disappointed?" David huffed with amusement into McCoy's ear as he patted his son on the back soothingly. It wasn't until then that McCoy realized that he was crying.

McCoy laughed and pushed away a bit to look into his father's brown-gold eyes. Patience McCoy's eyes had been green. McCoy himself had split the difference with hazel.

"Ruined my whole wedding, you old bastard," McCoy said through the tears in his voice. He couldn't let go of his father's shoulders to wipe at his own eyes. He saw the amusement in David's eyes, and the mischief. How the man loved to argue and grouse. Yet, no matter what they said to each other, they both only heard the love behind it. "Where have you been, and what the hell was that message on your house comm? I've been worried sick when I couldn't get you to answer."

"Strange story," David admitted, turning to look back at the car that was now pulling back out of the driveway.

McCoy hadn't even noticed that Ambassador Spock was leaving, or that his father's bags had been left on the porch.

"Well, come inside and meet my new sister-in-law, and my brand new nephew," McCoy said wiping at his eyes with one hand while putting his arm over his father's shoulders.

_So thin!_ _He needs to gain some weight. I can help with that!_

"You can tell me inside," McCoy said. "Don't tell me I need to feed you as well. Damned nuisance guest."

"Okay, I won't tell you then," David said happily. "I'll just sit in a corner and starve. Be a conversation piece at the wedding tomorrow. A game for the kids, _'come poke the dead guy'_."

"Idiot," McCoy said fondly as they walked up the steps, his arm still around his father's shoulders. More tears flowed as McCoy wiped at them _._

"Clone," David accused with a smile, his arm around his son's waist.

 

***

 

Jim paced back and forth at the arrival gate, while Sam sat calmly on one of the chairs.

"Jim, you're too nervous," Sam said with a sigh. "That means you're expecting too much. You expect too much, and you'll just be disappointed."

"You're probably right," Jim said with a shrug. "I just can't seem to turn it off. I guess there's always some hope that she's changed."

"Just don't let her get to you, if she hasn't." Sam stood to walk closer to the gate. He gave Jim's shoulder a nudge as he passed. "You've got great things going on. If she doesn't see that, don't let her pull you down."

_That's what Bones is always telling me. Why is it so hard to put into practice?_

The datascreen showed that Winona's shuttle had arrived. Both sons stood by the gate, looking for their mother. Halfway through the crowd of arriving passengers, Sam spotted her first and pointed her out.

Winona Kirk drew attention from those around her. Just over one and a half meters tall, she didn't tower, but she acted tall and powerful. Slim, with honey blond hair artistically draped in a loose bun, her light blue eyes were sharp, taking in the area around her. She wore a close-fitting gray suit of some expensive looking material, with a half-cape of the same color over her shoulder. It made her fairness stand out.

Catching their eyes, she nodded and walked through the gate to them.

"Mom," Sam said, taking her hands and leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek. Winona allowed it, eyes on Jim.

_What is she even thinking?_ Jim wondered as he waited his turn. _Happy? Sad? Tired? Annoyed? Thrilled? Bored?_ It bothered him that he couldn't tell.

"George," she said in acknowledgment. With only a flicker of a glance at her elder son's face.

_Did she mean to make him wince like that? She must know he hates that name._

"Mom," Jim said, putting on a smile. He opened his arms for a hug. She came forward, hand on his chest, to keep him from pulling her too close.

"Jim."

He kissed her cheek. She allowed it.

"I'm afraid I have several bags. They should be coming off the shuttle now."

"We'll get them loaded into the car," Sam said. "We're putting you in the same room you had last time."

"That's nice," she said distractedly as she looked around. "It will be nice to rest after coming all this way."

"Peter's at school for a few more hours, Mom." Sam started toward the area where the luggage would be unloaded. "But Len, Aurelan and the baby will be home."

"Looking forward to it," Winona said without any real feeling as she looked for her bags among the many that were now ready for pick up.

_And here I thought, somehow, she might have changed,_ Jim thought. _My mistake. Again._

They gathered her bags. The ride to back to Sam's house seemed even longer as the three struggled to make conversation. Jim tried to get his mother interested in their wedding plans for the next day, but she seemed to drift off after a while. For the last few kilometers, they all rode in silence.

As they pulled up to the house, McCoy came out front.

_What's up? Has he been crying?_

Worried, Jim quickly got out of the car. Someone else probably wouldn't have noticed it, but Jim could see McCoy's eyes looked red and swollen. He went up to McCoy while Sam helped their mother out of the car.

"Bones?" Jim asked quietly.

"It's okay," McCoy said under his breath, giving Jim a smile. "Let me meet your Mother first."

"Okay." Jim turned around and put his hand on McCoy's back, waiting for his mother to come closer. "Mom, this is my fiance', Doctor Leonard McCoy."

"Doctor McCoy," Winona Kirk said, extending her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you as well," McCoy said brightly, taking her hand firmly but gently. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

"How sweet," she said replied with a slight smile. "Jim has often spoken of you. I feel like I should know you already."

_If you'd listened, you would, Mom,_ Jim thought. _I've been talking non-stop about him for over a year now._

"Come inside, Mom," Sam said, carrying her bags. "We'll get you set up in your room."

As Sam and Winona walked up the stairs to the front door, McCoy held Jim back.

"Surprise for you inside," McCoy whispered. "From Spock, Uhura and _Ambassador_ Spock."

"He sent something?" Jim asked, suddenly happy again.

"He delivered it. Had to leave, but is coming for the wedding tomorrow."

"That's great! But, why the red eyes?"

McCoy laughed. "You'll see."

It took Jim's eyes a moment to adjust to the dark interior. He saw Sam waiting by his mother's side as she spoke to Aurelan. Jim didn't see Robby in his bassinet, so he must be asleep in the bedroom. Suddenly, a voice boomed from the kitchen behind him.

"James _Tiberius_ Kirk! Where the _hell_ you been, boy?!" Jim turned, stunned to see a face he'd only seen on vid screens. David McCoy held out his arms.

Jim laughed, feeling a smile split his face as he went to hug the elder McCoy. "Right here, Sir!"

Both of them hugged tightly. "Sir? Oh, _hell_ no. Call me David, or don't call me at all."

"I can't believe you made it, David!" Jim said pulling back to see the joy on David's face that must have matched his own. "We were worried about what was going on with you! Why didn't you say you were coming?"

"Last minute decision," David said with a shrug. "I'll explain later."

As David looked over Jim's shoulder, Jim turned to see everyone watching. McCoy was grinning ear to ear. Sam and Aurelan were smiling. Winona looked confused.

"Everyone," David McCoy announced fondly, his arm around Jim's shoulders. "I want you to meet the son I always wanted, and never had."

"Pa!" McCoy protested with mock indignation. " _I'm_ the son you _never_..." He stopped, rolling his eyes when he realized what he'd almost said, as several around him snickered. "Oh, _Lord_ help me. Fine. Have it your way,  you broken-down old goat. Just don't hold your breath for any Christmas presents from me this year."

Jim couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, my God, this is going to be _fun!_ David!" He turned and hugged David again. "This is so _great!_ Let me introduce you to my mother and brother." Jim turned. "Mom? Sam? This is Doctor David McCoy, Bones' father, if you haven't guessed already."

"And I've met the wonderful, Aurelan," David McCoy said, walking over to take Aurelan's hand, then bending down to kiss it. "She let me hold her baby. I will love her forever."

"You're more than welcome here, anytime," Aurelan said with a smile. "We're so happy you could make it."

Sam stepped forward, a huge smile on his face as he held out his hand. "This is wonderful, Doctor! Welcome to the family!"

"A pleasure, son," David said, placing his other hand on top of Sam's as they shook. "But it's _David_ , to family."

Then David moved toward Winona and held out his hand. "And Doctor Kirk? So nice to meet you."

She hesitated a second, then took David's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Doctor McCoy."

"David, please. Otherwise, there's too many Doctor's in the room."

She nodded slightly. "David. You may call me Winona."

"Pleasure, my dear," David said, letting go of her hand and stepping back. "Don't let me stop you from getting settled in. I know you're gonna want a peek at that new baby."

She nodded and turned toward her room. Sam threw David a smile before following her with her bags.

"How'd you get here?" Jim asked David as his mother and Sam disappeared.

"Yeah, you were going to tell us about that," McCoy reminded him.

"Well, let's wait until Sam and your mother can join us," David said with a sigh as he sat on the couch. "Maybe after dinner. That way I only have to tell it once, and won't have to remember what parts I exaggerate, and what parts I only lie about."

Aurelan laughed. "We'll have more company coming in, soon. So best to wait then."

"Oh, yeah, what time is the crew coming in?" McCoy asked Jim.

Jim checked the time. "In a half hour or so. We offered to stay and pick them up, but Spock said it'd just be easier if they rented a car and went to the hotel first, then here. So, maybe an hour to two hours, depending on the time the shuttle from Starbase 10 makes."

"Well, then," Sam said, coming into the room. "Time to get dinner started, I think. We're going to have a few to feed tonight. Volunteers?"

The men all raised their hands. "Good," Sam said, "let's get this cook on."

They all busied themselves cleaning produce and cooking. The kitchen keeping full as Sam co-ordinated the process. Jim was impressed, and realized that with Aurelan's large family, Sam probably had a lot of practice feeding a lot of people. It gave Jim even more reason to be thankful for the ship's cooks, especially when the crew tended to take them for granted. Cooking fresh food was an art.

Peter got home from school, and was kept settled and out of the way with Aurelan and Winona. Glancing into the front room once in a while, Jim could see that the two women were talking awkwardly. As things wound down, David was sent to the living room with some ice tea for the ladies and himself. He sat with Peter on his lap and preceded to tell him stories of ancient astronauts. Aurelan took care of Robby, and Winona just seemed out of place.

_Everyone here is so great, and they_ **want** _to like her._ _Why can't she just relax and enjoy the company?_

Jim tried to keep his mind on what he was chopping, but every once in a while he'd look up to see Sam watching their mother. As they traded glances, it was clear they both were watching her and wondering if things would ever change.

Spock, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov arrived right on schedule. Then introductions were made all the way around. David gave hugs to the new arrivals, only giving Spock a scare that he'd actually try to give him one as well. David asked Spock if he was related to the Ambassador with the same name, and Spock gave Jim a knowing look when he admitted that they were 'related in a complicated way'.

McCoy had smirked at that, thankfully behind his father's back.

Dinner went well, everyone pitching in so that Aurelan didn't have to do anything but tend to the baby. Peter seemed to latch on to Sulu when he discovered Sulu was a Starship _pilot_ , the most exciting job in the world. Soon, it seemed it was getting late, and they settled down to discuss the wedding the next day. There wasn't much to remember to do, and soon the Enterprise crew left for their hotel. Peter was put to bed in his parent's room on a cot, so David could have his room.

Winona called it an early night. Jim had been torn between disappointment and relief when she did.

David, Jim, McCoy, Sam and Aurelan sat around the living room, each one nursing one last drink before bed. McCoy sat next to David on the couch, while the others took spare seats around them.

"Okay, Pa, spill it," McCoy ordered. "How'd you get all the way out here, with Ambassador Spock?"

"Well, I was sitting there, tired and fed up with trying to keep that Titanic of a hospital running," David said. "When someone chimes my door. Open it up and there's this old Vulcan standing there. Asks me if I'm Doctor David McCoy. I admit to it. He then asks if I have a son on the Enterprise. Now, I'm a bit worried, because it may be bad news. He introduces himself as Ambassador Spock, and says that he's on his way to my son's wedding on Deneva. Thought the old guy was crazy at first. Made him show me his ID, since I knew I'd heard Spock's name before, but not as an ambassador. But figured it was like the hundreds of thousands of David's out there. You're gonna hear any name more than once if you live long enough. His ID looked legitimate, so invited him in. We sat, and I asked him how he knew my son and Jim, and he says he worked with you both for a bit during the Narada attack."

David shook his head. "Horrible thing. I can't even imagine. Anyway, said he was leaving in the morning, and he could take me if I wanted to go. For _free_. On the Vulcan _Ambassador's_ ship."

David looked at his son. "I realized then that I'd been pissed about work for the last few months, not only because the hospital wouldn't let me take a sabbatical for a run out here, but that it'd cost me a lot of my savings. Damned unfair after all the years I've worked. So, I asked if he could wait for a few minutes. I typed out, signed and sent in my resignation letter to the hospital. Packed a couple of bags, sent my lawyer the passcode to my house, ordering him to sell most of it, store the rest, and deposit the credits into in my account. Then left that message on my comm, and left with Ambassador Spock. Took about forty-five minutes in all to get the deals done and realize I still had a life to live somewhere."

McCoy paused, drink halfway to his mouth, looking shocked. "Pa? You quit?"

"I quit."

"But... you've worked all your life for that job. What are they going to do without you?"

David shrugged. "What'll they do without me if I drop dead? They'll move someone else into my place and do business as usual. Now, I _want_ to do something different."

"What do you want to do?" Jim asked.

_Maybe it is something Bones and I can help with. I know David deserved to get what he wants, after all the wonderful work he's done._

"I don't really know," David said, looking a little lost. "After you two get hitched, I'll have to find my own way back to Earth, I guess. I know the Ambassador's headed another direction. But, then again, I don't know as I really want to go back. Been on Earth most of my life. Nothing really left there for me anymore. All I do know, is that I want..." David broke off, looking a bit embarrassed.

"What, Pa?" McCoy asked gently. "What is it that you want?"

"I want a _dog_ ," David said, blurting it out like a long-held secret. "Always wanted a dog. Wanted Leonard to have a dog but his Mama and I spent so much time taking him with us when he wasn't in school, we were hardly ever home. That's no life for a dog, always waiting on his owners. Then, after Patience died, I had my hands full trying to deal with being a single father and work. Then it was just work. All the time. And no time for anything else." He shook his head, and grew wistful. "Always wanted a dog."

"Pa, you're _gonna have_ a dog," McCoy promised with a smile. "We'll figure it out."

David raised a hand. "And grandkids too, if you're going to be Santa Claus."

"One problem at a time, David," Jim said with a smile. "Someday. We're planning on it."

"All I can ask," David said with a smile. "Now, I think it's time I hit the sack."

"We'd better go to bed as well," Aurelan said. She looked at David. "I'm afraid you'll hear the baby up a few times tonight."

"A healthy baby's cry never bothered me," David said with a smile as he stood. "It's the sick ones that rile me up into doing something about it."

"If there's anything you need, just tap on our door," Sam offered.

"Bother you? Oh, heaven's no." David waved toward his son. "That's what I got a kid for. I'll bother him first."

McCoy laughed as he traded looks with Jim and rose from his chair. "You're welcome to try it, Pa. Just remember, we're getting up early tomorrow. We've got lots to do and lots of people coming."

They all made their last little 'fresher runs of the night. Sam and Aurelan making good use of their private bathroom while Jim, McCoy and David took turns with the one in the hallway. Jim and David stood outside the door while McCoy took his turn.

"So, Jim," David said quietly in the dim hallway. "You ready for tomorrow?"

"More than ready," Jim said softly. "I can't wait. I don't care how it goes, as long as we're married by the end of it."

"Good. Good." David turned serious. "Treasure every moment God gives you together, son. You all know how fast it can end. He's a _good_ boy. A _sweet_ one, even if he's inherited my sass. So much like his Mama, huge heart and all. But he's easily hurt. Like his first marriage. She hurt him on purpose. She had no right to do that to him, but she tore him to shreds anyway. I hardly hoped he'd ever find someone he could trust enough to make him happy again."

Jim gave David's arm a squeeze. "I _promise_ I'll take good care of him for you," Jim whispered. "I can't do any less. He's my _heart_."

David reached out to hug Jim. "And you're his. Both of you good kids. I know that for a God-damned fact."

They released each other just McCoy came out of the 'fresher. An eyebrow raised, he looked at them both with fond amusement. "Carrying on? Right in front of me? I'm always the last to know."

"Can't help it if he likes _mature_ men," David said with a chuckle.

"I know," Jim said with a laugh as he entered the 'fresher, giving McCoy a wink. "I'm _so_ hot for the Old Man."

McCoy smiled evilly. "You're such a pervert, Kid."

David laughed.

McCoy was in bed when Jim came in to get ready. As Jim put his laundry away, he saw the ring box with McCoy's wedding ring. Jim took his own ring off and opened the small box to place it in there, ready for tomorrow. Other than checking to make sure it fit him well, McCoy hadn't worn his. He said he wanted to wait until after they were officially married. Jim had been glad McCoy had wanted to wear a ring, but he would have been okay if he hadn't. Jim had tried to get McCoy to pick out something different. Unusual. But McCoy insisted he only wanted a plain, gold band.

_"Jim, I'm a Doctor. I have to keep sanitary, and I use the MedBay bio-sanitizer all the time. I don't want a ring with a stone, engraving or any kind of decorative crevice that would slow down that process. A plain, gold band won't have to be removed over and over all day. I don't want to have to take it off, and maybe lose it. Or have a patient with a death wish walk off with it. A plain band is all I want."_

And that's what Jim had bought for him, seeing his point. But Jim had had something added to it without McCoy knowing.

He checked to make sure that McCoy wasn't watching. Then Jim picked up McCoy's ring, tapped it on the dresser top gently three times and held it up to his ear.

He could feel the slight vibration as the hidden setting was triggered. He heard his own voice clearly, audible only to the person holding it close to their ear.

**_"Come on, Bones! It'll be FUN!"_ **

Smiling, he set the ring back in the box with his ring to keep it company.

Between the picture in his ring, and what he considered their 'family motto' in the other, he pretty much thought they had covered who they were in a nutshell.

 

 

***

 

It was about four in the morning when McCoy woke to the muffled noises of a hungry baby in the room next door.

_At least the kids is consistent,_ he thought. _He'll be outgrowing the short feeding-cycle soon enough. Aurelan seems to be holding up pretty well. Her family's so large she's used to it. I'm just glad she won't have to do anything tomorrow... today... other than sitting back and let the caterers handle the crowds and clean up. She should be resting so soon after the baby, not hosting a party!_

McCoy closed his eyes, enjoying the cool breeze through the windows, conscious of Jim's warm, soft snores on the pillow beside him. He heard a new sound in the hallway. Then the kitchen. Someone was awake. It had sounded like his father, although McCoy couldn't have said why. Deciding to check, McCoy quietly left the bed and dressed. He walked softly down the hallway and saw his father in the kitchen, trying to use the coffee machine.

”Hey, Pa," McCoy said quietly, coming in to take the coffee cup out of David's hand. "You need coffee, then let me. It's one of those older machines you have to fill by hand."

"Huh," David said, clearly relieved to let his son show him how. "And here I thought it was the new-fangled stuff that was too complicated."

After a few adjustments, McCoy had to admit it tasted better made this way. He handed his father a cup, then went to pour his own. _I'm never getting back to sleep, anyway._

"Jet lagged?" McCoy asked as he sat down at the kitchen counter with his Pa.

"A bit. Although I have to say while the Vulcans travel sparse, they know what to spend their money on. Comfortable ride."

"What was the Ambassador like to travel with?"

David shrugged. "Asked lots of questions about Earth. Wanted to know if places he'd visited in the past were still there. Can't say I've been to many of them. Asked about you, and how you and Jim were doing. Nothing too personal, just chatting I think. I asked him about New Vulcan, and we talked awhile about colonies and politics. We seemed to pass the time pretty comfortably. His aide is too quiet for my tastes, though. Never said a word the whole way."

"That's Vulcans for you," McCoy said with a smile. "Believe me, it's the quiet ones you have to watch out for." McCoy, leaned both elbows on the counter, hands around the hot cup, and shook his head. "I can't believe you quit your job."

"Past due, now that I look back on it," David said, sipping his coffee carefully. "I've been a doctor most of my life, which I don't mind. It's the paperwork that kills me. I can't remember the last time I actually saw a patient. I think it's been aging me past my time."

"You're looking pretty good, Pa."

David snorted. "And you're a lousy liar, as always. I've aged. I'm going to be seventy-six before I know it. I have at least twenty-five good years ahead of me, and I already look like I'm pushing ninety. It's the paperwork." He nudged his son with an elbow. "Don't let them do the same to you. And if you've gotta do it, do the kind that makes a difference. Not something that'll get filed away and no one gives a shit."

"Don't intend to," McCoy agreed. "Although, paperwork does sneak up on you. I'll have my own share piled sky high when I get back."

"But you're actually bein' a _Doctor_. That's what you need to be. Keep doin' that. Even though, well, we both know it could get you killed out there." David looked into his cup. "I know that, and I've tried to make peace with the idea of losin' you too. But I'm no different than any other parent with kids in the Fleet. Scares the  bejeebers out of me."

"Me too," McCoy admitted. "But I have to take care of them. They're my crew."

"And you can't let him go out alone." David looked at his son with a smile.

"Nope."

"Then that's where you should be. Don't leave anything to regret."

McCoy looked at his father. "You ever regret anything?"

"Oh, lots of things. But mostly..." David sighed. "Your Mama and I should have had more kids. We talked about it, a lot. The years just seemed to slip on by with our noses buried in our work and us enjoying you so much. And she was still young, could have a few more easily. Just didn't see her leaving us so soon. Not like that."

"Yeah." McCoy shook his head. "I still miss her, too. A brother or sister would have been nice. But... it is what it is."

"And you're going to have a husband, and I'm getting another son. I think that'll do fine for a while."

They were both quiet for a few minutes, each sipping coffee and having their own quiet thoughts.

"What are you doing to do now, Pa?" McCoy asked. "Jim and I are only going to be gone a few days, then back here to visit some more. We can put you up in a hotel --"

"Sam already asked me to stay till you both leave for the ship," David said. "Good kids, the Kirks. I can fill the time with them, no problem. And after you head back to the Enterprise? Not sure," David admitted. "Not go back to Earth, though. I have all the memories of it I need. I like Deneva so far. Maybe I could find a small practice here. Something part-time. Or do some research. I miss the excitement of that. But save me some time to travel. Aurelan said they're always short of doctors. Hardly any of the new crop of kids wants to put in the schoolin' for medicine, even on Earth. When they do, they don't always want to travel."

"Which is why Starfleet snatched me up so fast," McCoy admitted. "I could have murdered someone, and they'd have just made a small fuss and happily made me sign on for more mandatory years on my service contract to cover the defect on my record."

"You serve out your time?"

"Yeah. Last year was my last mandatory year on contract, to cover my Academy training. I'm free to leave whenever I feel like it."

"Feel like it? I mean, if you weren't staying for Jim?"

McCoy thought about it for a moment. "No. Guess not. I'm not _just_ staying because Jim is. I'm making a difference out there. They need me."

"Always good to be needed. Which, when you think about it, is a pretty ghoulish thing for a doctor to say, considering people gotta be hurt or dying to need us. At least, the ones we're not vaccinating and such."

"We're ghoulish people," McCoy said with a chuckle. "At least Jim's used to it. He understands."

"Best thing about your Mama being a doctor," David admitted. "Wasn't much for the black humor herself, but she understood it. Made for you growing up with some pretty unsavory dinner talk, though. Most kids don't grow up with blood, guts, burns and discussions on the breakthroughs in reconstructive surgery discussed in detail while they're eating their oatmeal for breakfast before school."

"Didn't affect me much." McCoy shrugged. "I'm the height of politeness, tolerance, and polished manners. Just ask all the idiot assholes I work with."

David chuckled. "I hear that."

They both heard a sound, and turning to look they saw Peter standing in the hallway in his pajamas.

"Is Uncle Jim awake?" Peter asked around a yawn.

"Think he's still asleep, kiddo," McCoy said, going to Peter and squatting down to meet him eye-to-eye. "You need something? It's still awful early for you."

"Can I see him?" Peter asked with hope in his eyes. "Dad says he'll be busy all day today, then gone for a few days. I'll miss him."

"Let me see if he's up."

McCoy slipped into their room. Jim had noticed he was gone and was sitting up in bed. His hair was every-which-way and his eyes blurry. Jim rubbed at the stubble that was too blond to see in the morning light.

"Whassup?"

"Nothing. Just up with my Pa. Peter wants to see you. He's missing you already. Told him I'd see if you were up or not. You can go back to sleep if you want, and I'll try to sneak him back into bed, or put him to sleep on the couch."

"No, no that's okay. I was just dozing anyway. It'll give me a couple of hours of alone time with him before we all get busy. I can take him to the shed, and he can help me check to make sure the hovercycle and trailer are all packed and ready for our escape after the wedding."

"Okay, I'll let him know to get dressed."

Peter was thrilled, and was dressed and ready before Jim was. Passing McCoy and David in the front room, Jim thanked them with a nod as McCoy handed him a cup of coffee. Jim had taken Peter by the hand and led him outside.

They both watched as Jim and Peter walked across the driveway to the stand-alone building.

"He's a good one, son. You did good."

"I know," McCoy said, watching Jim as he smilingly opened the shed door for Peter, who was practically vibrating with happiness at the attention. "Even if he'd told me no, or we'd never become lovers, I was keeping him."

David laughed. "Never giving him a chance to escape, huh?"

"Hell, no."

 

***

 

Winona Kirk lay in her bed, listening to the sounds of people moving around quietly. She thought she heard Peter's voice. Earlier, she had heard Aurelan and the baby. She should get up and talk to them. She didn't want to. She wished she could take another nightly hypo and wallow in her memories of George. But she made herself rise and gathered her things, ready to lock herself into the tiny hall 'fresher to get ready for the morning. Seeing Both Doctor McCoys in the living room, she got ready for the day.

When she finished, dressed in another gray outfit and hair once again pulled back, she forged into the living room. She tried to put on a smile, like a shield. Both men, the younger and older, smiled back at her. Part of her wondered if theirs were as fake as her own.

"Good Morning, Winona," Leonard said with a welcoming tone. "Would you like some coffee? Some breakfast? I'm minding the kitchen while Sam and Aurelan get a bit extra sleep this morning."

"Some coffee, black. Thank you."

Leonard went to make her a cup. She threw another thin smile at the older man, hoping he didn't want to talk to her, then went back to studying Leonard.

Tall, dark haired, with a heart-shaped face and broad shoulders, Winona had to admit he was a good-looking man.

_What does Jim see in him, besides looks?_ She wondered. _He's crude, and sometimes disrespectful to him. I assume he must be a decent Doctor. Otherwise, Starfleet wouldn't give him a CMO position._

Jim had talked about Leonard 'Bones' McCoy quite a bit, when they did talk. She'd forgotten most of it even as he'd told it to her. She disliked the nickname her son had given the man. It sounded childish and sexual. She wasn't sure she even wanted to know how it came about. Especially if it had anything to do with Jim's rather frantic sexual explorations as a young man.

_At least he seems to have outgrown that phase, thank goodness. Of all the lovers he tried to introduce me to, very few of them were male. So many women when he was young, yet none of them important. None of them ever going to be. And McCoy? A name I've never seen in the Histories. At least, not connected to Jim's name. Not that we have even a fraction of the files re-assembled and decoded. But Jim never married. He was never meant to. This relationship is just a waste of time. Something else that will eventually be erased when the time comes. _

_Something I need to get through, so I can get back to my work._

She tried to smile at Leonard when he brought her the coffee.

"Here you go, Ma'am. I can make you some breakfast, as well."

"No, thank you. I'm not much of a breakfast person. I thought I heard Jim up?"

"Oh, he's out in the shed with Peter."

Not wanting to stay and talk to the two McCoy's, she nodded her thanks. "Then I'll just go and check up on them, then."

She saw a look of disappointment flicker across the younger man's face. The older man just studied her quietly.

Leonard nodded at here. "Since you're going that way, you can tell Peter I can make his breakfast for him. His mother should be up soon."

Winona took her coffee with her across the wide driveway, to the shed that was partly hidden under several large trees. She could hear Peter's excited chattering through the open door. Inside, she found a roomy area, with one hovercar and one hovercycle. Crude wooden tables with all kinds of mechanical tools and equipment ringed the room. Jim and Peter were sitting on the hovercycle. Peter at the front, holding on to the handlebars. Jim behind him, holding his waist while he pretended to drive. Neither noticed her.

The scene hit her in the gut. A memory of her riding behind George as he drove her crazy filled her vision. The decrepit motorcycle he'd loved so much almost feeling real underneath her. Tears welled at her eyes, and a quick flash of anger and impatience rushed through her.

_So much time we lost!_

"Vrroom! Vroom!" Peter roared loudly while Jim laughed.

"C'mon, kid! Is that the fastest you can go?"

"VROOM!" Peter yelled even louder.

She must have made a noise, since Jim suddenly turned and looked at her.

"Mom!"

"Grandma!" Peter said at the same time, twisting to get Jim to release him so he could get down off the hovercycle. He rushed over and wrapped his arms around her waist. She absently ruffled his hair.

"Grandma! Uncle Jim was showing me his hovercycle, and we had to check to make sure he and Uncle Len are all packed. They're going to be back in a few days, before they have to leave."

"So, I've heard," Winona said. "But I think you need to go in and get your breakfast. Doctor McCoy will make it for you. Go now."

"Yes, Ma'am." Peter disengaged reluctantly and headed toward the house.

Both Winona and Jim waited until they heard him enter the house before speaking. She stood there with her coffee, Jim had turned to swing his leg over the hovercycle's seat so he could face her. The silence was awkward.

"Mom," Jim said carefully. "Glad you could come. I was surprised you could get away."

"I _do_ try," Winona said, suspecting from Jim's face he knew it for the lie it was. "This seemed important to you both. Tri-Fold was very generous in giving me time off. My work is _very_ important."

"Work you can't discuss."

Winona smiled at him. "As usual."

"Well, it's great of you to come. I know Bones has wanted to meet you face to face for a long time. Sam and Aurelan are happy you're here to meet the new baby."

She sighed with annoyance. " _Really_ , Jim. Your brother's name is _George_. I'm not even sure why you call your  fiance' such a ridiculous name."

"I told you, once, why I call Bones that," Jim said, clearly annoyed himself and trying not to show it. "It's about his first marriage, and his divorce. At least, at first it was. And Sam likes to go by _'Sam'_. He's more comfortable with it."

"George is ' _George'_. If I wanted him to be called _'Sam'_ , I'd have named him that," she snapped, not even trying anymore to hide her frustration over an old argument. "And about Leonard. Handsome enough, I supposed, although I didn't realize you were _that_ into men. And a doctor is always handy to have on hand. But a divorce', Jim? There must be something wrong with him if he can't sustain a relationship."

"There's nothing _wrong_ with him, Mom. He just made the wrong choice, once." Jim closed his eyes for a moment, looking as if he was working to hold in his anger and be polite. "I _love_ him. I _need_ him. He's perfect for me and this marriage is for life. Maybe, as you get to know him over the years, you'll see him as I do. And as for nicknames... well... I think we're all adult enough now to decide for ourselves who we are, who we want to be, and how we want to be addressed."

She looked at him, frowning at his tone and the rebuke. _He really believes that? He's still so immature. We are who we are. There's no_ **wanting** _about it._

"Then, I wish you and Leonard well," she said shortly. She checked the time on her decorative bracelet. "I'm sure _George_ and Aurelan will be rising soon. If I remember correctly, from the schedule they announced last night, that things will start to get hectic. Maybe I can help keep Peter out of the way once everyone starts arriving."

She could see Jim wanted to say something, but he'd decided not to.

He nodded instead. "I'm sure they'd appreciate that. We'll be really busy soon. And I need to take a shower and get some more coffee. It's going to be a long day."

They both headed toward the house in silence.

 

***

 

David watched as Winona headed toward the shed, sipping on his coffee. Leonard came to stand beside him.

"She's a cold one."

"Seems like it," Leonard agreed. "First time I've actually met her, face to face. Over sub-space, she seems even colder. I don't think she likes me."

"Son, I don't think she likes anyone," David said with a huff. "Met a lot of people in my time who gave off those vibes. Mostly, people so entrenched inside their own mental world that what goes on outside isn't all that important. You said she's a quantum physicist?"

"Yeah, one of the best from what Jim's told me. He got his genius genes from both sides, but mainly from her, I think."

"Well, if she can't see how much that boy loves you, and love you for _that_ if nothing else, then it's _her_ loss. Don't let her judge you, Leonard. In the scheme of things, she'll probably end up being the least important person you'll ever have to deal with. Or, at least, she'll end up at the bottom of that list."

"Oh, I won't," Leonard said with a sigh. "It's how she treats Jim and Sam, and his family, that bothers me. It's like they're all... below her standards, somehow. I know it bothers both her kids."

"Just keep Jim occupied, so he doesn't dwell on it. Lots of loud, vigorous, mind blowing sex is good for that."

Leonard chuckled evilly, glancing back at him. "Sex is good for a lot of things, Pa. Distraction included. Speaking of which..."

Leonard son was was studying him with a raised eyebrow as he continued.

"You get distracted much, Pa? I'm not a kid anymore, you know, who'd want you to worship Ma's memory so much you forget to be human. Or a man. I'd rather not worry so much about you being lonely."

"I've had my share of distractions, now and again, over time," David admitted. "Came close to needing to introduce you to a couple of them over the years. Lovely people, but it just didn't work out. Maybe I just hang around too many doctors. We're kind of assholes. And hard to live with."

"Whole planet of non-doctors here, Pa," Leonard replied with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm beginning to think that's another reason to stay. I have no reputation here. No one knows they're supposed to run like hell when they see _me_ coming."

Leonard snickered, and they both watched as Peter came running back to the house.

 

***

 

 

The morning moved in a blur for Jim. There had been so much to do, and so many new people to meet. Aruelan's family had started to arrive at eight am., and his crew at eight thirty. People spilled out from the house and into the backyard, into the beautiful, cool morning. The caterers arrived shortly after that and got busy setting up the lunch tent and getting the food ready. There had been little left to do in the huge back yard. The plots out here were large, about two acres square, so there was plenty of room in the back for guests, and in the front for hovercars. Ambassador Spock had arrived and was now talking to many of Aurelan's family, his aide keeping a discrete distance behind him. Jim felt a little bad about not having time to talk to the Ambassador, or even his own crew, but it couldn't be helped. Winona Kirk had stayed to the background, being polite when introduced, but clearly uninterested for any follow-up conversations.

_Why did she bother coming at all?_

The next few hours passed even faster, and now Jim found himself in the house, with McCoy, getting dressed for his wedding with the guests waiting outside.

Standing in front of the mirror, he let Sam adjust his white shirt. Bright white, with over-sized sleeves. Jim thought it looked like an old-fashioned, ocean spoiling, pirate's shirt. Although a very, very clean one.

"It's not fitting very well on the shoulders," Jim complained.

"It's supposed to be loose. Stand still," Sam scolded as he pulled the shoulder seams forward a bit more. "Just wait until we get the over-tunic on."

McCoy stood behind them, watching. McCoy seemed to fill out the white one-size-fits-all shirt better than he did. The gauzy, black over-tunic made him look like some kind of official. The over-tunic was made of some sort of bio-degradable plant-fiber medium. There was one large panel in the back, and two in the front, with large stitches under the arms and down the sides. It was meant for one use. It and the small tubs of glue, brushes and cups of seeds that had been passed around to the children were all part of the wedding ceremony. Comfortable black pants and shoes finished the look. Never having actually seen the ceremony in person, Jim wondered if he just looked strange.

Sam put the over tunic on him and started to straighten it. Jim had to admit the black against the white was striking.

McCoy answered a tap at the door. From the corner of the mirror, he could see Uhura asking McCoy a question through the door.

"Jim?" McCoy said from the doorway. "Uhura and Spock need the rings now."

"They're in the box, on the dresser over there," Jim nodded to the other side of the room. Spock would hold Jim's ring for McCoy, and Uhura would hold McCoy's ring for Jim. McCoy went to get them and pass them along.

"There you go," Sam said with satisfaction. "Just remember not to fidget when the kids get started on you. It can be a bit ticklish."

There was another knock at the door. It was Aurelan, with Robby in her arms. Her smile was huge. "It's ready! The Official is in place. Don't forget you have to sign and thumbprint her PADD after the ceremony to make it legal!" she warned.

Jim laughed. "We won't forget. We _live_ to fill out forms."

"Good luck, little brother," Sam said with a smile and a slap on the shoulder. Then he turned to McCoy and held out his hand. "Good luck with him, Len. You're going to need it."

"I know," McCoy said, returning the smile with the handshake. "I'll take all the well-wishes I can get."

Then, suddenly it was time.

Jim and McCoy stood side by side at the back door, waiting for their cue as the old-fashioned symphony music played on hidden speakers in the backyard. Jim had no idea what was playing, having left most of those details to Aurelan and her sisters to decide. It was nice and calming, fitting the beautiful day.

Outside, all the adults were standing in respectful silence as the music played. They were all in a large circle, with an opening for the two grooms to walk through to the center. In the center, all the children were sitting on the grass, surrounding three small sitting pillows. One for the Official, who was sitting in place, and two across from each other. The children were fidgeting and whispering excitedly among themselves as some of the adults tried to hush them.

Spock and Uhura each stood behind a pillow, so Jim knew where he'd sit.

When the music can to a dramatic pause, Jim smiled at McCoy, who smiled a little nervously back, and they left the house to walk to the center of the group and sit. The circled closed on them, leaving them in a ring of adults and children.

Jim sat on his pillow, with Spock at his back, facing McCoy and Uhura. Spock was dressed in his gray, woven suit, and Uhura in a bright floral dress, her hair pulled back into a neat bun at the back of her neck. Jim noticed the women in the group all wore floral patterned outfits, and the men all white shirts and dark pants. David, Winona, the Official and Ambassador Spock, the exceptions. The two men and Winona stood to one side of the group, watching quietly. The Official was dressed in a neutral gray. An older lady, her gray hair was in a braid down her back. She looked as if she'd married a thousand couples in her time, and had enjoyed every last ceremony.

When the music ended, the official cleared her throat.

"We are all here today," she began in a loud voice, "to witness the Marriage Ceremony between Doctor Leonard Horatio McCoy and Captain James Tiberius Kirk. One of the things that many of the intelligent species in the universe have in common, is a sense of _love_. Love for family, parents, and children, brothers and sisters. Love for friends, and for those so dear to us that we wish to tie ourselves to them for a lifetime, is something many of us share. One of the things we Denevans believe is that the search for our interstellar family, other life forms, other beings, is what keeps us forever moving outwards. The need to know that we are not alone a drive so deep in our souls, that we can never cease looking for new life. And when we find it, to cherish it for the rare, beautiful thing it is. Our personal search for love, for our ' _Other',_ can be a long and hard one. But when that kindred soul is found, they are worth all that we sacrifice for them, as they are a blessing."

She paused and smiled at the two men.

"Doctor McCoy and Captain Kirk have found that blessing in each other, and have chosen to share it with us today. We thank them for the honor of attending. For those of you who are new to Deneva, a bit of our history. The first settlers came to Deneva over a hundred and fifty years ago. Finding a planet with little life of its own, but with endless potential, they chose to transplant many of Earth's native species to this new world. Not only crops, but trees, wildlife, insects... Some of them did poorly, but some flourished as a new balance of life was sought for Deneva. The new life slowly spread itself over the planet, and as the new Denevans themselves put down roots they sought to create their own culture, their own ceremonies. In the beginning, it was the job of every citizen to carry seeds of all kinds with them. To distribute the seeds around them as they lived and worked in their new home. As the young world filled with the new life, the spreading of seeds was left for important ceremonies. This is one of those ceremonies."

She smiled at the fidgeting children sitting around them. "These young ladies and gentlemen will help us with that old tradition. In the next few moments, the children will bestow upon the two partners the seeds of our world. Once covered, the black vests the couple are married in will then be put aside. They will be carried by the new couple on their next few days of privacy, to a new location, where they will bury the vests at a place of their own choosing. The vests will decompose and feed the seeds. Then the couple, if they wish to note the spot on our GPS system, may visit this spot in years to come to see what has grown as a symbol of their love."

She held up a hand, and all the children, from a toddler to a pre-teen, took note. "Let the children leave their blessings."

As the music started again, the children, most giggling and squealing, jumped up and rushed toward Jim and McCoy.

Jim held up his arms so the kids could get to the vest easier. Soon he was surrounded by a group of happy kids, who jabbered excitedly as they used their brushes to paint pictures on Jim's vest with a white glue. Watching McCoy get the same treatment, Jim saw some kids drawing happy faces on him, stars, cars and what looked like cats or dogs. He could feel them working on the back panel of his own vest, as well as the front. As soon as one child finished their drawing, they filled their hands from the seed cups, smashing the seeds into the glue with laughs and giggles.

The seeds were of all sizes and colors. Jim had no idea what kind of flowers or plants they represented. But he found himself laughing as they worked, talking to the kids he'd only just met and admiring their work. He could hear McCoy's happy voice as he did the same.

And the more the kids worked, the more at peace Jim felt. _It's why we do what we do. For them. For their future. For all the kids out there. For all the kids that will be. For all the blessings we received at their ages._

After about twenty minutes or so, when the last child had used up their glue or their seeds, the Official signaled them to all sit back down. Jim, whose vest was heavily covered in glue and seed pictures, saw that McCoy's was happily covered as well. The Official signaled for them to stand. As they both tried to stand up carefully, Jim had to keep from laughing as they both showered loose seeds to the ground. The glue was almost dry, so not too many were lost.

_I wonder how many of them will grow in their yard?_ He wondered happily. _Aurelan and Sam will have to keep me informed._

"Please face each other," the Official instructed. They complied, reaching out to hold each other's hands. "Do you both, Kirk and McCoy, agree on this union, for now, and until death do you part?"

"We do," they said in unison.

"Do you pledge to love, honor and cherish each other, for a long as you both shall live?"

"We do."

"Then you may exchange tokens, to seal this union."

At that cue, Spock and Uhura stepped forward and handed them each a ring.

Jim had offered to go first.

"Bones," he began looking McCoy in the eyes, "It started out as just a nickname, from something you told me when we first met. But now it means more than that. You're my strength, my support, and without you I could not stand. This is my token of our vows." Jim slipped the ring on McCoy's finger. "A circle, never-ending."

McCoy, his face solemn, took a deep breath. "Jim. There are no words to express how I feel about you. You are my heart, and my reason to live. I swear I'll spend the rest of my life reminding you how much you mean to me." He slipped Jim's ring back on his finger. "A circle, never-ending."

"And as you both have declared your love, your unity and your new kinship, I can now officially declare you married!" the Official said with a grin. "Now, a kiss for good luck!"

Jim and McCoy gave each other a small kiss, too aware of all the little eyes on them.

Everyone broke out in cheers and Jim found himself surrounded by people congratulating him and wishing him well. During the rush, Sam came over and helped him removed the now colorful vest of seeds and fold it into a box, then helped McCoy out of his. Jim knew Sam would make sure it was in the small trailer that was hooked up to the hovercycle, along with a small shovel they'd use to bury the seeds according to tradition. Then lunch was called and everyone happily rounded up their children to find seats and get plates from the buffet. Jim and McCoy sought out the Official to sign and thumb-stamp the official records, being assured that their ceremony was complete and was recorded instantly in the Denevan Records Office. Starfleet would get their notification and paperwork through sub-space at midnight. She congratulated them and left for another ceremony.

 

***

 

Winona Kirk sat at the main lunch table, with her son and his new husband, David McCoy and Aurelan's parents. She had been leery of being seated next to the elder McCoy, but he had, thankfully, kept to himself through the meal. She could only stare at her own plate, feeling too overwhelmed to eat much. There had been too many people to meet and try to force herself to respond to. She'd known Aurelan had a large family, but she'd really had no real idea how many people that actually was. It was going to be hard to keep track of all the names and faces. Maybe she shouldn't bother. It would be easier in the long run.

She wished they'd have served some alcohol. Apparently Aurelan's family didn't partake. She could have used a stiff drink to help her relax. As people finished eating, including the children, they'd come up and give Jim and Leonard a flower and their blessings. It would be a miracle if the two got to finish their meals. And as for a wedding ceremony, she'd been to more impressive ones. Her own included.

_All ceremonies have pretty words, that in the end don't mean anything. Why did they even bother getting married? They've already been living together. They both are high enough rank that no one will bother them over it on the ship. Between the two of them, they should have no trouble running his ship any way he wants. And when they tire of each other, it will just make for a messy divorce. Such a waste of time._

Winona, feeling she was being watched, looked up. Over at a side table sat Ambassador Spock. His aide standing beside him. The other Vulcan in the party, also named Spock, was standing next to him. They were discussing something. She'd had a strange feeling about the two, seeing them together for the first time. The uneasy feeling grew stronger.

_What are the odds of there being two Vulcans, with the same name, knowing Jim well enough to come to his wedding? They surely wouldn't be here for McCoy, even though one had gone to great lengths to bring his father here. It's not as if medical Doctor's aren't a dime a dozen. So strange._

She knew about Spock from the History files. While he'd had his own entry, very little of it had been salvageable. She knew that that Spock, and the real Captain James T. Kirk, had worked together to make History in the real universe. And yet, that Spock was already here, in place as First Officer, as he should be.

_Who can the other Spock be? It's not as if..._

Her brain stuttered then, as if her reality had shifted and she could take that thought to the end _...not as if he came over with Nero, from the real universe. From the future._

She felt the flood of shock make her hand shake, and she carefully put down her fork.

_Could it possibly be true? If so, he would **know.** He would **know** how Nero came through time. He would **know** things about the future we can't get from the History files. How things should play out. How time travel **could** work. He would know how **wrong t** his existence is. _

_And yet, he's **here**? As if all that didn't matter? As if this Jim Kirk could be **the** James Kirk, and he should care? _

"You all right, Winona?" David McCoy asked, looking at her strangely.

"I'm fine, thank you," She said calmly. David McCoy studied her for a minute, then nodded, going back to his own meal.

_Wouldn't things go so much quicker, if we could know what **he** knows? _

She spent the rest of her lunch trying to think of ways to find out if her suspicions were true. She couldn't do so on her own, but she wasn't alone. She would have some very interesting talks with her superiors when she got back to work.

_And maybe they **knew** he would come. That's **why** they sent me here. _

_There was a **reason** to be here, after all. _

 

 

***

 

Lunch was fun, with everyone talking and children happily eating, then abandoning their plates to play in the yard around them. Jim ate like he was starving, realizing he'd not thought to eat any breakfast that morning. The relief that it was all over, and had gone well, letting him relax enough to have an appetite. McCoy, next to him, ate heartily as well. Between bites, Jim and McCoy accepted flowers from the group, as each person handed them one once their meal was over. Each person giving them their blessings and well wishes.

Then after lunch, they'd both had time to visit with Spock, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov, who congratulated them both. Jim realized how important it had been to him to have someone from his ship there. And how grateful he was that they'd wanted to come.

_If I could have invited everyone, I would have. They're all my family, in a way._

McCoy spent some time talking to his father, both of them smiling broadly. Jim still couldn't believe that the older McCoy had been able to come.

_Everything he walked away from, everything he gave up, to be here for us, is just astounding. I'm so glad I got to meet him face to face before the ceremony. To see that he really approves of me, and wasn't just saying to so to make Bones happy. I swear, somehow, someway, we're getting that man a puppy. I know they have Terran dogs on Deneva. Maybe Sam can help us there._

Jim found some time to chat with Sam, Aurelan and his mother. He thanked Sam and Aurelan profusely for letting him and McCoy get married at their home. Sam and Aurelan understood, and clearly were happy to have been there for him. Winona took her thanks for coming, and hollowly wished him and his husband well.

Jim tried to take her well wishes as heartfelt. It didn't work.

Before he knew it, it was coming up on 2 pm., when he and McCoy would have to leave to make their reservation at the Tree Hotel in the Whatajabee forest on time. He was glad they'd packed the hovercycle a few days ago, so he and McCoy just needed to change so they could leave. There were so many people he'd missed talking to. Especially Ambassador Spock. But every time he seemed to find the man and his aide, he was sidelined before he could get to him.

_I need to send him a note, later, thanking him for getting McCoy's father here. He can't know what that meant to us._

They said their goodbyes to the crowd, one by one, promising to be back in a few days, and made their escape back into the house. They had to make their way past the bathroom line on the way to their room, but made it without spending too much time visiting with those waiting for the 'fresher. They changed into comfortable civilian clothes for their trip, glad they could leave everything as it was for their return.

Sam and Aurelan came in to say their goodbyes in the privacy of the shed.

"Congrats, little brother," Sam said with a smile as he gave Jim a hug. "Don't forget to watch the weather reports. Especially that far north. We don't have any weather control like Earth does. Deneva does what it wants in that area."

"We'll be fine, Sam," Jim said with a smile. He went over to hug Aurelan, and whisper in her ear as McCoy and Sam were saying goodbye. "Thanks for everything, Aurelan. It's been a wonderful day. And especially thanks for letting David stay. That means everything to Bones and me."

"We're thrilled that he agreed to stay," Aurelan said happily. She pulled back and took his face in both hands. "We both like him Jim, and he's _family_ now. We'll help him find a spot on Deneva, you'll see. Just take care of your new family." She glanced at McCoy. "Stay safe, and out of trouble."

"I'd promise to try," Jim said happily. "That's all I can do."

Then, they were on the hovercycle, pulling out of the shed. Jim drove with McCoy sitting behind him, both in their safety helmets and leather jackets. Some of the crowd had wandered down and lined the driveway, the adults calling out their blessings and the children running and waving their goodbyes as they drove by. Jim made sure to wave at Peter before they turned onto the main street.

_We're married!_ Jim thought gleefully as he felt McCoy's arms tighten around his waist, his body pressed close to Jim's.

_Never let me forget to believe in miracles, because this sure feels like one._

Jim gunned the engine again, only hampered at his need for speed by the small trailer hitched to the back. He could hear McCoy's affectionate curse in his ear as the hovercycle sped up, making McCoy tighten his grip on Jim. Both the increased speed and McCoy's reaction fueling a smile that Jim felt like he could wear forever.

It was a new beginning, and he was ready to go and live it with his _husband_.

 

***

 

Watching through the darkened window of his hovercar, Ambassador Spock watched the newly married Kirk and McCoy leave for their honeymoon. They seemed happy, and excited. A well of fondness flowed through Spock, one that he didn't try to quell or deny.

_It is still very strange to see them as a couple. Although, I do think that in this universe, they belong together in this way. Their jobs can be very... lonely._

That was an emotion he tried not to think about very often, nor dwell upon. His own friends had all been gone for many years now. There was nothing to do but move on.

Through the crowd that had followed the newly married couple to the road to see them off, Spock once again caught sight of his counterpart and Uhura. That, too, had been a strange twist in this reality. While he had felt affection for his Uhura, who'd kept in touch with him for many years until her death, it had never come from any romantic desire to be with her. She had been too close to what he considered family, for that.

_And yet, they would make a good pairing. And a good reminder to me that this is not my universe, and never will be. But I am needed here. That is all I can ask of it._

The chauffeur, and his Vulcan aide Stivin, waited patiently for his next orders. But Spock was expecting a message at any second. Now would be a fitting time for it to arrive.

Stivin's PADD softly chimed. The aide checked the incoming message.

"Ambassador," Stivin said, his voice, as always, severely neutral, "the message from Starfleet Command has arrived. Would you like me to read it to you, or would you rather read it yourself?"

"You may paraphrase it."

Stivin  took a minute to scan it.

"The message is from Branch Admiral T'iknow, Starfleet Command. He states that the Starship Merrimac has made contact with the civilization on Theta Cygni XII. They confirmed the infestation of a neural parasite on the planet. The bombardment of the planet with ultraviolet light seems to have destroyed the entire infestation. Theta Cygni XII will be under quarantine for the next year, while the Federation attempts to help the survivors re-establish their society and to make sure that the parasites have been totally eradicated. All efforts to back-track the parasites will be made, as well as new research into keeping them from being transported from one world to another. He expresses appreciation for your help with the forewarning of the parasite's existence and expected route of travel."

Spock said nothing.

"Sir? If I may?"

"You may always ask, Stivin," Spock replied with not-well-hidden amusement. "I may, as always, decline to answer if I so choose."

"Many times in the past you have sworn not to involve yourself in the future of this universe, beyond helping to establish New Vulcan. And yet you gave the Federation warning of this infestation. Coming as it had from outside the boundaries of our exploration, logically it would have traveled much further into Federation space before being discovered. It would have destroyed many more civilizations as it spread by ship from one planet to another. The death toll would have been... substantial. Why, in this case, have you chosen to interfere with the natural progression of the parisite?"

From a Human, the question may have seemed like a rebuke for his interference. But understanding the Vulcan mind as he did, Spock only saw the curiosity that burned in the younger Vulcan. A curiosity for things outside of his own point of view, and culture, that Spock had recognized as familiar to himself. And to his counterpart. In all his years, Spock had come to realize that while many Vulcans sought new knowledge, that they did not necessarily seek wisdom. He had hopes that he could help Stivin along that more rewarding path.

And maybe, someday, Stivin would find some wisdom of his own to pass along to their people.

"The saving of such large numbers would be well worth the interference, ethical questions aside," Spock admitted. "But by warning Starfleet at this time, I have now arranged matters so that the parasites do not infest Ingraham B., which in turn will not infest Deneva. I will admit that my reasons for doing so are perfectly selfish in nature."

Stivin raised an eyebrow. "You had encountered them on Deneva. In your own timeline."

Spock noted that Stivin was making a statement, not asking a question. "Yes."

"Were you able to destroy the infestation at that time?"

"Doctor McCoy and I came up with the solution, yes. He used me as a test subject when we needed to know whether the cure would work or not."

"You were a victim of the parasite?"

"Yes."

Stivin was quiet for a moment. Then asked, "So, you do this to save your counterpart from the experience?"

"I do this to save James T. Kirk and Doctor McCoy the pain of losing close family. In my timeline, James Kirk lost his brother and sister-in-law to the parasites. I did not wish to see this version of my two friends suffer the same loss."

Stivin studied him. "Do you not believe that this is an instance of 'Playing God,' as you put it?"

"I do have a conflict with the ethics of my actions," Spock admitted. "Why interfere in this instance, but not another? But, as I have discovered," Spock added as Stivin stayed silent, "my own existence in this universe is an interference. And while I will continue to struggle with my choices, some are clear to me and are, in actuality, no choice at all. In that, I can only trust that this universe has kept me here, alive, for a reason. And I need to... trust my instincts. Even though at times, my motives will seem, even to me, self-serving."

Stivin  nodded, but Spock suspected that the young Vulcan did not truly understand.

_And how can he, when I do not always understand it myself? In that, I am as mortal and fallible as any other being, no matter my origins or the knowledge I carry with me._

_And I am forgetting so many things now._ _As I had forgotten Leonard's brush with xenoplycythemia in my own timeline. If I had remembered, I would have sent the cure to Starfleet Medical as soon as I could have, so that this McCoy could have been cured of it before it could manifest. He may very well have died needlessly, all because I had forgotten._

And as for the moral conflicts he had over who he saved, and who he didn't, he felt at peace with his decision to save Deneva. That would have to do.

_If only all my decisions came so easily as this one._

He caught sight of Winona Kirk. She turned and looked at the Ambassador's hovercar, as if she could feel him watching her. She looked empty. As if nothing she seen here, none of the joy her children felt, touched her in any way. Then an annoyed look crossed her face and she turned away.

_She is clearly not the women Jim introduced me to, so many years ago. That Winona was very protective of her children. Very involved. While all of the counterparts I have met have been their own people, most are actually not far removed from those I knew. Except for Doctor Winona Kirk._

_I wonder what has happened, to make her so?_

He didn't know, with all the things he needed to do, and all his responsibilities, if he had the right to indulge his curiosity about her.

He had the feeling he should indulge it, anyway.

 

***

_Damn. I thought riding horses made my backside sore!_ Leonard McCoy thought with a wince as he swung his leg over the seat of the hovercycle. _Four hours on the back of a cycle isn't much better._

They'd been four hours on the road, but had taken a break about half way through to check their bearing and stretch their legs. But for some reason this cycle's seat didn't like him.

"Are we there yet?" McCoy asked, noting for himself the whininess of his voice. He took off his helmet. "This thing is killing my ass."

Jim smiled at him as he pulled off his helmet as well. He placed it on the cycle's seat. "Guess that's why they used to call it a 'bitch seat' where I grew up. Everyone who had to ride behind me bitched about it, anyway. Figured it couldn't be too bad, though."

McCoy huffed, stretching his back. "Or maybe, they were bitching _because_ they had to sit behind _you_."

"I'll take the blame this time," Jim said with a chuckle. "Even in a hovercycle, the roads out here are pretty primitive. Some of those dips and potholes came up on me pretty fast and I'm out of practice. Especially pulling the trailer. And yes, the comm says we're here."

And it had been rough going for the last couple of hours. Deneva had had one main settlement at the beginning, and the population had pretty much stayed around that main hub. The further a traveler got from it, the less traveled and maintained the roads were. Most of the Denevan landmass was still unsettled and wild, with all the transplanted flora and fauna left to settle in on their own.

McCoy looked around him. The forest in this area was thick, and some of the trees so huge that McCoy wondered if the ground around them ever saw the sun anymore.

_Hollow some of those trees out, and you could live in them. They're bigger around than some houses I've seen._

They had pulled off the main road, if you could still call it a road, and were now in front of a small, weathered wooden building, not much more than a shack. The weathered wood, dirty windows, and dead leaves on the shingles made McCoy think it had been there since all these trees had been seeds themselves. Next to it was another wooden building, looking more like a garage with a large split door in the front.

"Don't tell me we're spending our wedding night in _that_?" McCoy asked incredulously. "I know you like rustic, Jim, but I think there could be bears in there."

"No, it's just the check-in site," Jim said, looking at the info on his comm. He looked at McCoy and smiled, then stepped close and leaned in for a kiss. "Besides, you said to surprise you with the honeymoon plans, right, _Husband_? Wouldn't staying there be a surprise? And there haven't been any bears seen around here lately. They like the woods better."

McCoy couldn't help but grin at the word, _husband._ Then it hit him and his smile vanished. "Wait. There really are bears on Deneva?"

"Bears, wolves, bobcats, some other cat species, foxes, deer..." Jim said distractedly as he looked at his comm and headed toward the building. "As much of the Terran North American eco-system as they could transplant in this area. The geography and natural weather cycle isn't really conducive for the fauna found in the South American jungles, but they have one dryer area nearer the equator that they're trying to introduce African flora and fauna to. They're hoping to get a breeding herd of elephants introduced in the next twenty years or so."

Jim opened the door and stepped inside. McCoy followed. Inside, it was cleaner, but mostly empty. There was a small table on one wall with what looked like paper brochures, some maps, and a suggestion box with paper and an old-fashioned jar of pencils. There was no one there, and didn't look like anyone came by all that often.

Jim walked up to a wall next to an old-fashioned stone fireplace, and touched a small screen. "We just have to check in. We can't get to our room if we don't. They'll want your thumbprint."

Jim punched some buttons on the panel, bringing up a sign-in screen. Jim entered a code and pressed his thumb to the corner. "You next."

McCoy walked over and pressed his thumb to the same spot. A light in the corner flickered green.

"Good, we can get in now. Grab one of those maps."

Outside, they both studied the map. All McCoy saw was some marked trails, about fifteen circles with numbers in them, and a 'you are here' note by a small dot at the bottom.

"We're number 15, the furthest away from the road," Jim said as he looked over the map. "They don't have a scale, but shouldn't be too far a walk. Maybe half a kilometer at most."

McCoy looked over at the larger building that he now realized was the parking garage, and the small trail that led further into the thick forest. "So, we park the cycle here and carry our stuff in?"

"Yup." Jim grinned. "Wait until you see the rooms. The vids were amazing! C'mon! Let's get our stuff."

They moved the hovercycle and trailer into the garage. There were about eight other vehicles there, and McCoy wondered if that meant they'd have few neighbors. They'd each packed a bag with three day's worth of clothing, and another smaller bag with toiletries. Jim had told him he'd ordered a large replicator menu, but fresh fruit, so they didn't have to bring their own food.

The walk through the forest was breath-taking. The huge trees were spaced out, with smaller trees and brush in open spots. The trail was kept clear, although it wasn't paved in any way. Without it, McCoy would have imagined they'd have had to hack their way through some of the growth.

_Well, it sure looks like they picked the good stuff from Earth,_ McCoy thought as they walked through the lush greenery. He could hear small things moving in the woods, and the sound of birds in the trees. McCoy knew that since Deneva didn't wobble in its orbit as Earth did, it didn't have winters with snow. It was more like a cold rainy season. _Maybe everything's growing faster because it doesn't have to stop and hibernate during a cold season. They can grow at full speed, all year round. And if the animals are surviving on their own, then there must be enough of them around for the predator species. With no winter, maybe they've got a lot more energy for raising litters._

_Enough, I hope, to keep the wolves, bears, and cats well fed and away from us. We didn't even bring a phaser._

As they walked, McCoy realized he couldn't see any buildings. _Where are all the other rooms? The other guests?_

Just when he was beginning to think they were actually lost in the forest, Jim headed for a group of trees. There, in the center, was a blinking green light on a trunk of a tree.

"There we are," Jim announced, pointing at the light.

Confused, it wasn't until he got close that he realized the trunk was fake. There was the thin seam of a door in the fake bark.

McCoy stopped to stare. _It's in a tree? But that tree isn't wide enough..._

It was then he realized he should look up.

At the top of the false tree trunk was the bottom side of a dark green bubble. A room-sized dark green bubble. With the false tree as the base.

"In the tree tops," McCoy breathed with disbelief as he cranked his neck to see more of the structure. "We're going to be sleeping in the tree tops."

Jim grinned. "Yeah! Isn't it great! See? No bears!"

_Heights or bears?_ McCoy thought about it for half a second. "Yeah. Okay. _Good_ choice."

Jim walked up to the trunk and pressed on the green light. "It'll let either of us in." The hidden door slid aside, and Jim walked in. McCoy followed.

The hollow area held a spiral staircase. A very tall one. Jim started up as soon as he entered. McCoy followed, the hidden door sliding shut behind him. He estimated they climbed about 21 meters, or about the equivalent of a seven-story building.

"Well, I can see we're not going to be racing up and down _these_ stairs," McCoy huffed as they neared the top.

"Come on, Old Man. You can do it," Jim laughingly encouraged him. "I can always carry your ancient bones up here if I have to."

"Annoying Kid," McCoy muttered loud enough for Jim to hear. " _You'll_ be the one getting carried around by the end of this honeymoon. You get me to a bed, and I'm goin' ta wear you out."

"Promises, promises!"

Jim had reached another door. Joining him inside, this was a very small area at the bottom edge of the bubble. It consisted of a hallway and another door on one side. Jim opened that door and stuck his head in. "The 'fresher."

Looking over Jim's shoulder, McCoy saw a decent sized 'fresher, with counter, sink, toilets and large two-head shower with a clear door. There was a small closet, that had a few days worth of towels, and various complimentary soap and shower gels. It wasn't at all rustic.

Jim started up the stairs at the end of the small hallway. The next level had another small hallway with an open door on the side. Inside it was a modern kitchen, and clear, rounded, outer walls on two 'sides' of the bubble the they could see the forest through. McCoy figured the walled sides held storage and hid all the utility pipes. Done in gray marble and steel, with a marble top table, it made for a neutral backdrop to the green tree branches just outside the windows. In the center of the table was a gift basket.

"Peaches!" McCoy said with surprise as he picked up a fuzzy fruit. "Real ones!"

"Peaches for my Georgia boy," Jim said with a satisfied smile. "C'mon, the bedroom's upstairs."

_This_ _is all so... wow!_

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, McCoy followed Jim slowly up the next set of stairs. This room was at the half-way point of the bubble, at the widest part. There was a flat platform to step onto from the stairs, and next to it a long and narrow dresser that had a curved back to fit against the wall. The pathway circled the outer edge of the room. In the center, a perfect circle, was a huge bed. And from the waist up, the walls of the bubble were completely clear. They were surrounded by forest, with a peek of clear blue sky straight above them and through the tree tops.

A treehouse of _the Gods._

"Jim," McCoy whispered, feeling stunned as he looked at all the nature around them. "This is... it's _gorgeous_! Damn! Are you sure I sent you enough credits?"

Starfleet frowned on couples combining finances until, and unless, they made some kind of legal commitment. Untangling them after a break up could be tricky. But McCoy had transferred all his savings and most of his daily account to Jim to use on the wedding and honeymoon. They'd lump their finances together formally when they got back.

"We're fine," Jim said with a smile, tossing his bag on the dresser. He reached over and took McCoy's bag, tossing it the same direction. He came over and wrapped his arms around McCoy's waist, his eyes soft and teasing. "I'm a _serious_ comparison shopper. Clip all kinds of coupons. And Sam had some friends, who have friends, who were willing to give me a discount on some things."

McCoy felt a little guilty. "But... I just let you do everything. I should have helped more."

"I'm a Starfleet Captain," Jim said gently as he pulled McCoy close and kissed him. "Which is just another way of saying 'project manager'. I _like_ making plans. It's fun. I _love_ surprising you. I _love_ taking care of you. It keeps me busy, and my mind occupied. After all, you take care of me _all the time_. Even when you don't know you're doing it. I married you so we could take care of each other, forever."

It hit him hard, then. The commitment they'd made. It was true, and real, and was everything he'd ever thought he'd need, and more than he'd had any right to hope for.

" _Husband_ ," McCoy said with as much promise as he could force into that one word.

Jim leaned in to kiss McCoy. McCoy opened his mouth, sucking in Jim's tongue while wrapping is arms around Jim's neck. Jim's tongue was hot and slick, and they played a game of push and shove, back and forth, as their hands roamed to all those places that made the other respond. Jim's hand slid done McCoy's hips, McCoy's dropped to catch the hem of Jim's shirt, and he pulled up, sliding his hands underneath to Jim's chest, fighting to move them when there was so little space between their bodies. When they broke off, they both had to gasp for air.

Jim's whole body was hot, and his cheeks flushed. His eyes were rings of blue around black. McCoy could feel the bulge of Jim's need against his own. Jim smiled wickedly. "I want you to fuck me, Bones. I want to feel you for _days_."

"God," McCoy moaned as he took Jim's mouth again. Need flooding him hot and fast. He was already so hard it was painful.

He pulled Jim's shirt up, just releasing Jim's mouth long enough to free his shirt. He then to accepted Jim's help in pulling off his own. They were chest to chest, and McCoy could feel the quick beat of Jim's heart against his skin. McCoy's hands were all over him, and Jim grabbed McCoy's head to kiss him deeply. Moving his hands down, McCoy worked at the fastener of Jim's jeans, pushing them down as soon as it was possible. Jim's cock was stiff and hot in his hand. Jim moaned in McCoy's mouth and flexed his hips, sliding his cock in McCoy's grip.

Jim pulled at the fabric over McCoy's ass. "Off!" Jim ordered hoarsely.

They pulled apart just long enough to undress, throwing their clothes behind and around them. Then they were all over each other, and somehow ended up on the bed. McCoy wasn't even sure when they'd gotten horizontal. They tussled and tugged, pulled and rubbed, using every bit of space on the large bed. McCoy tried to take memorize the scene. Jim, dappled in sudden spots of bright sunlight in some areas, and dark gold in the shade of leaves that moved between them and the sun in the unfelt breeze. Jim gave him an evil smile, enjoying the admiration on McCoy's face, the way he made McCoy's body flush red with lust.

McCoy couldn't play any longer. He left the bed just long enough to grab his bag off the dresser, opening it up and dumping everything he'd packed on the floor. He was too far gone to spend any time for a careful search. He grabbed the lube, and crawled back on the bed toward Jim and tossed the lube aside.

Lowering himself between Jim's legs, McCoy used every trick he'd ever learned about driving Jim crazy with his mouth. He used his lips, teeth, nose, chin and faint stubble to lick, rub, suck, nip, roll, every bit of Jim's flesh he could reach on, around, or near Jim's leaking cock. All of Jim's gasps, groans, twitches and his fisting of his hands in McCoy's hair only drove McCoy on to drive his husband crazier and more frantic. He knew Jim was so, so close, but he still refused to touch his cock. McCoy fought to keep Jim still as he started to flail.

"Damn... it... Bones... Do... something!  Now. Now. Now! I need you... to... mouth... THERE!... more... no... DON'T STOP!... damn it...."

Grabbing Jim, he rolled him over, grabbing one of the many pillows spread around and shoved it under his hips. He spread Jim's legs, making sure that Jim wasn't laying on his own cock. Unwilling to let Jim get any friction even from the pillow. McCoy pushed another pillow under Jim's stomach, lifting Jim's hips higher. His engorged cock, heavy balls, perineum and ass were all displayed for McCoy. All open to him. All his.

McCoy grabbed the lube, and very carefully, very slowly, applied to Jim. Opening him up. He knew how Jim liked it, how he twitched and moaned during his favorite parts of the procedure if McCoy did it right. He made sure he did it _exactly_ right.

"Bones....please!" Jim panted, almost in tears, his hands fisted in the sheets so hard he may never be able to let go.

McCoy pushed in gently, waiting until could feel the burning heat and pressure of Jim's body let up enough to tell him Jim was ready. Then slowly, but steadily, gritting his teeth against the urge to let go and let his own orgasm happen, McCoy pushed in as far as he could. Then, fully seated, he leaned his weight on Jim to get any extra penetration he could.

They were both panting, both trying to hold on, as close to being one person as it was possible to be.

_Hold it. Hold it. Hold it._ McCoy ordered himself. As the need to come backed off, he started to move. A shallow thrust. At Jim's moan he sped up.

"Hard, Bones," Jim forced through a gasp, his face in the sheets. "Hard."

McCoy rode Jim as hard, and forcefully as he could. He knew where to aim, how to hit him in just the right spot.

Jim groaned, the sound from deep in his gut, then his whole body clenched. McCoy held himself still as Jim climaxed around him.

"Bones...bonesbonesbones," Jim panted happily as he fell forward, now weak from his release.

Unable to stop himself, McCoy grabbed Jim's ass with both hands, leaving bruises and thrust three more times, climaxing himself.

It was an electrical flash that was pain and pleasure all rolled in one.

Somewhere along the way back to consciousness, he fell forward, rolling Jim off the pillows, but not pulling out. Heart hammering, head starting to clear, he wrapped himself around Jim.

Jim grabbed his hands, to keep McCoy around him.

They both drifted off for a bit, neither willing to part until they had to.

 

***

 

Jim lay on his back, looking at the stars that winked through the tops of the trees. He was tired, but a very happy, satisfied tired. McCoy lay beside him, holding his hand, their fingers entwined.

He and McCoy had dozed a bit, showered together, eaten a quick sandwich in the nude, and come up to bed in time to watch the colors flow over the sky above them as the sun set. It was very indulgent, to just lie there and watch the sky. To watch the night come upon all the trees around them and not even have to stand at a window, or sit on a bench, to do it.

"A good day, all in all," McCoy said in a quietly, a smile in his voice. "Last time I get married, though. Couldn't top today if I wanted to."

"Well, good thing we won't have to," Jim replied. He squeezed McCoy's hand. "Something I need to tell you though."

"Oh?"

"About your ring."

"Oh. What about my ring?"

"I know you said you just wanted a plain one, but I did have something embedded in it."

McCoy raised his ring hand, looking at the gold band in the bit of starlight that reached them. "Yeah? What did you do?"

"You don't have to take it off. Tap it three times with your thumbnail, then hold it up to your ear."

McCoy did so.

Jim knew by heart what it sounded like, and played it over again in his mind. **_"Come on, Bones! It'll be FUN!"_**

A second later McCoy laughed, the deep, body shaking laugh Jim knew would bring out those killer dimples, if he could have seen them. The kind of laugh that made McCoy's eyes dance.

The kind of laugh Jim never heard enough of, from his love.

"You didn't! It's perfect! You're going to get me into trouble with that phrase. Make me do all kinds of crazy, stupid things."

Jim grinned in the dark, enjoying the happiness in McCoy's voice. "Family picture and family motto. See? We're perfect together."

"I knew that _before_ the rings," McCoy said fondly, rolling over to be the one snuggling on top this time.

"So, tomorrow, we go out and bury our wedding vests, and all those seeds," Jim said softly as he pulled McCoy to him. "Then we can come back in a million years and see what grew. Any ideas where you want to go to bury it? We're allowed to do that anywhere we want out here."

"Don't care. Where you go, I go. Pick any star you like, and we'll follow it. See where it takes us."

"That, I can do."

Mentally, Jim picked a star off to the side. One that looked like it needed to be explored.

_And tomorrow, we'll go that direction and see where we end up._

Soon both of them fell happily, deeply asleep.

 

***

Five Days Later

***

 

"Robby, you and I need to have a talk," Jim said softly, looking into the deep blue eyes of his nephew. Belted into his infant seat, which was held firmly by Jim on the kitchen counter, Robby blinked and wiggled as he tried to focus on Jim's face. Jim, sitting on the stool, was leaning forward so that Robby could see his face better. "The first thing you need to learn, even before crawling or walking, is that family is _important_. They help us, support us, and love us. They make us who we are. And you have the _best_ family, right here. Especially your mother. You have to be good to her and take care of her, because she's gonna take great care of you. Just like she does everyone else. So, anytime you think you can sleep through the night for her, I'd go for it."

"Jim," Aurelan said with a laugh from just inside the kitchen, where she was chopping up some carrots for dinner. "You're so sweet, but I think it'll be another few months before that happens. At least, it took that long for Peter."

Jim shrugged. "Hey, thought I'd give it a shot." He leaned back and played with Robby's toes some more. The kid seemed to like it.

_Oh, my God! I'll never get over the tiny fingers and toes. I was never this little. Never._

Jim and McCoy had come back from their honeymoon a couple of days ago, and today was their last, full day on Deneva. Tomorrow, he and McCoy would take the morning shuttle back to Starbase 10, and beam aboard the Enterprise.

_Time is so short now._ _I don't want to leave. But... I do miss the ship._

Aurelan had insisted on cooking their last meal together, and McCoy, Sam, Peter and David were out in the shed, fussing over Sam's hovercar and talking shop. Medical and biological shop, about David's new job. Jim had decided he'd spend the time with Aurelan and Robby.

"This... These have been some of the best days of my life," Jim said to Aurelan. "I can't believe how you and Sam have just taken us in like this. Having the wedding here, just after having a baby. All this work..."

Aurelan stopped cutting the carrots to look at Jim. She smiled and shook her head. "It's not _work_ when you love someone, Jim. And both Sam and I love you and Len. Peter adores you both. I was being totally selfish to want you both here, so I could be there when you got married. Hardly a hardship when you get what you want."

"But, you hardly knew us," Jim said. "I mean, all those years Sam and I didn't talk..."

"You just weren't ready yet." Aurelan sighed. "Jim, I know it's been rough for both of you. Sam has had a lot of problems trying to believe that he is worth the love and attention my family gives him. He was that way in college. So sure that he just wasn't good enough, as a person, to be loved and accepted. I realize you must have felt pretty much the same way at the beginning. But now you're ready to accept that people love you. You and Sam will make up for those years apart. You won't wipe them away, but you've learned from them and value what you have now. We _love_ you. We want you and Len here, as often as you can come."

"I love you all, too," Jim said with a smile. "So much. And so does Bones."

_It feels good to say it. Why did it ever seem like such a hard thing to say out loud?_

Aurlean put the cut carrots into a bowl. She pulled out some green peppers and put them on the cutting board to work on. "I know I didn't know you before you and Len got together, but I can see how good he's been for you. He's a good man, and Sam and I love him as well. I'm glad you found each other. And David..." She laughed. "David's a blast. Reminds me of a great-uncle I had, who passed away a few years ago. I can see that Len inherited his attitude.  We've had a lot of fun conversations while you've been on honeymoon. Peter's fascinated by him. We've enjoyed his company a lot."

"It meant everything to Bones to have David here. But I can't believe Sam got him a job on his research team! He didn't have to--"

"Oh, stop right there," Aurelan ordered, pointing her knife at him as she spoke. "Don't even for a moment think that Sam was doing you, Len or David, a favor. David's doing _him_ a favor. A huge one. Do you know how scarce medical physicians are out here? We never have enough, and  Denevan officials would be at our doorstep with their hats in one hand, and a pile of incentives in the other, if they even knew Len and David were here. They'd be doing their best to convince them to immigrate. Now that David's decided to stay, he can spend some of his time helping Sam's group with the microbe study, and still treat patients either at the hospital or on a house-to-house basis. We have a lot of elderly that could use some home visits." She smiled. "And if he goes with the home visits, he can take his new puppy with him. Train it to be a support animal for those who are housebound and just need a bit of cheering up once in a while."

"When do you think he should know?" Jim asked happily. Sam had whispered the secret to him, and he to Bones. But Sam had asked them not to say anything to David or Peter.

"Not for a couple of months, at least. You know how the breeding of companion animals is strictly regulated, so that every puppy and kitten on Deneva will have a permanent home waiting for it before it's even born. We've got a friend who has a breeding pair, and she hadn't started a waiting list for this next litter yet. So, David and Peter are at the top. But we won't know for months if the mother conceives, and how many puppies there will be. If we say anything to David, too soon, then Peter might find out we've got our names on the list as well. I don't want them to be disappointed if it takes a bit longer."

"I want puppy pictures! As well as more vids of these two kids." Jim made a face at Robby, who seemed fascinated by it.

Aurelan laughed. "We will. Don't worry. And you two need to send us vids as well. We don't get to see or hear from you enough."

"We'll try. I'm just not sure how many vids you want to see of us in the ship. When we're on planet we hardly seem to have the time to sightsee."

"I can imagine," Aurelan shook her head. "And I'll bet you two have adventures we'll never know about. Maybe that's for the best. I think Sam and I would be horrified if we knew what you two were up to."

"Sometimes, it horrifies _me_ ," Jim admitted, watching Robby as he started to wiggle and stretch more. He was starting to look unhappy and gave a grumbling squeak.

Aurelan went over to wash her hands, and retrieve a bottle of breastmilk out of the fridge. She came around the counter just as Jim as pulling Robby out of the baby seat. She handed Jim the bottle, then leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Just come _home_ safe, both of you," she said quietly. Her expression soft and serious. "We need you. All of us on Deneva need both of you to come back home safely, _whenever_ you can. And one day, when it's time, you can come home to stay. We'll be here."

Jim could see in her eyes, her expression, what she was leaving unsaid.

_And we'll be here, even if it's just one of you left to go on. And that one will be taken care of. No matter what._

"We'll try our best," Jim promised, eyes growing misty with the feeling of love he had for her, for everyone, in his family. "We'll both give it everything we've got, to always make it back."

" _Do_ that," she said with a smile as she patty Robby's back and returned to the kitchen.

Jim sat down with the wiggly baby, who was starting to fuss louder. He threw the burp towel over his shoulder and settled Robby down in his arms for his bottle. Robby started sucking frantically at it.

"How'd we get so lucky?" Jim asked the intently eating infant. "To get such a great family?"

Robby just curled his fingers around the parts of the bottle he could reach and shut his eyes with bliss.

Jim smiled, knowing how the kid felt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'd have tagged this as related to TOS episode "Operation -- Annihilate!", but I didn't want to distract people, or give the impression that any of that might happen in the story. It's only loosely based on it anyway. Barely a mention, but I felt an important one.
> 
> Because Ambassador Spock and I agreed it was never going to play out that way in this universe. We were both pretty firm about that.


End file.
